SING STREET –
TAKING NOTES ON CODES AND
CONVENTIONS IN THE FILM
NOTES ON DIRECTION (DIRECTOR: JOHN CARNEY)
CODE- CAMERA
•Shot types (ELS, LS, MLS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU)
•Focus (shallow or wide)
•Camera movement (panning, tilting, tracking)
•Camera angles (low, high, birds eye)
Editing is the careful selection and placement of VISION and
AUDIO.
CODE - EDITING
It is done in post-production
Editing can create PACE and RHYTHM in a film – think – the more
‘dramatic’ the scene the ‘faster’ the edits become and the PACE
increases
We can analyse the mise en scene by looking at
everything within the frame for meaning
CODE - MISE EN SCENE
Also combined with the lighting, costuming and set
design the mise en scene can tell the audience a
great deal about the ‘feeling’ of a scene
CODE - SETTING
The setting refers to the location and the
time period in which the story takes
place. Settings can be symbolic.
Lighting helps compose a frame or scene.
It can be used to focus our attention on an object or character.
CODE - LIGHTING
It can suggest a mood or a feeling.
Two key words - lighting can be expressionistic or naturalistic
Sounds that exist ‘within’ the film world – as in, a character
can hear it are called diegetic sounds.
CODE - SOUND
Sounds that exist ‘outside’ the film world – as in, only the
audience can hear it are called non- diegetic sounds.
‘Sound’ can include music, dialogue, effects, voiceover OR
the absence of sound.
CONVENTIONS - GENRE
What are some of the typical
events/patterns that make this a
music film/drama?
The opening of a film introduces the
audience to the ‘world’ of the story
CONVENTIONS - OPENING
We are introduced to characters, settings
and narrative possibilities
CONVENTIONS - CHARACTER
Character development describes how the
audience comes to learn more about a character’s
personality, beliefs, strengths, weaknesses and
emotions as the story progresses.
CONVENTIONS – STORY LINES
There are often many storylines within
a film. These often start off separate
and intertwine by the closing. Storylines
tend to be linked to genre.
The point of view from which the
story is presented
CONVENTIONS - POINT OF VIEW